


Heart and Music

by flickerthenflare



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coming of Age, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Romance, Summer Romance, Theatre
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 14:06:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7760812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flickerthenflare/pseuds/flickerthenflare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt is ready for this summer to be different. Blaine hasn’t met Kurt yet, but he’s ready for the same thing. They look for answers to their loneliness in the same place – a leading role they both audition for. </p><p>Written for redheadgleek’s prompt for the 2016 TDB Klaine Fic Gift Exchange: "Lima's community center is putting on a summer play, after Kurt's pretty miserable sophomore year. Meet cute where they've auditioned for the same part."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redheadgleek](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redheadgleek/gifts).



> Canon-divergent after Season 1. Warnings for mentions of homophobia and bullying. 
> 
> Please note: Familiarity with the show – A New Brain – is not necessary or expected. Songs referenced are linked and used in moderation. 
> 
> Also note: Kurt and Blaine are competing, but that doesn’t mean we should pit them against each other. Let’s be kind to both of them, okay? 
> 
> Thanks to Nikki for being such a wonderful, patient beta!

Kurt likes to think he doesn’t bore easily. He’s an only child and an unusual one at that – he can entertain himself. He has fashion renderings he means to spend his summer on. He has reality TV to binge. He has his dad’s shop on busy days where it seems like the whole of Lima is in a rush to get on the road and take a vacation from it. Kurt likes to think he doesn’t bore easily even as he reclines with his sketchbook tossed to the side, the TV ignored and on low-volume in the background, his phone by his side without a person to talk to, waiting for something to happen.

Summer serves as a reminder of how few people he chooses to interact with besides his dad. He’ll arrange a few mall trips with Mercedes and Tina when Mercedes isn’t on a mission trip with her church and Tina isn’t at camp, but for now they have plans he doesn’t fit into. Two friends are too busy, and suddenly his whole social circle feels like a single dot. Maybe a music video will drop that Brittany will want to recreate, but that hasn’t happened yet. Without practice and each other’s drama to bring them together, he’s less sure about the likelihood of seeing the rest of the glee club. Maybe their friendship is meant to only be situational, and summer isn’t part of the deal.

He toys with his pencil without putting it to paper. He’s waited all year to have this much time. What is he going to do with it?

A text from Rachel buzzes by Kurt’s side. He considers it in a way he might not typically, although Rachel certainly knows how to create a hook.

 **Rachel:** _The Lima_ _Lambda Alliance is casting a show for the summer at the community center and you HAVE to audition. It’s not right for me but for you it could be LIFE CHANGING. My dads have the cast recording and you need to listen to it right away! (4:51 PM)_

While Kurt debates how to respond, his phone buzzes again.

 **Rachel:** _What are you doing right now?_ _(4:53 PM)_

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Rachel texts him her address. At least today Kurt won’t be bored.

***

“So. What’s about to change my life?” Kurt asks when he arrives on the Berrys’ porch. Curiosity trumping niceties like handing over the homemade cookies he brought first.

“ _A New Brain_ ,” Rachel says.

Kurt stares. “Excuse you?”

“It’s the name of the show. You really should brush up on your obscure off-Broadway shows from the 1990s that closed in less than 6 months.”

Kurt didn’t realize that was a genre. Kurt’s Broadway knowledge isn’t as deep as he pretends it is, and the show is completely unfamiliar to him.

“It’s perfect for you,” Rachel adds. “The lead is a gay man, and I don’t want to waste my talent on a role that’s not the lead. Since we won’t be each other’s competition, I can vicariously win through you while searching for a production that will showcase my own unique abilities.”

Flattery draws Kurt inside. He and Rachel have become more familiar, but Kurt doesn’t think they are friendly enough to lie to each other for the sake of their egos. He needs to know more about this role she thinks he’s perfect for.

“My dads can tell us more when they get home. They sang along with this all the time while I was growing up,” Rachel says as if she’s not still in the process of doing just that. She beckons him inside and takes the cookies. “Do you want to start at the beginning or with my favorite song?”

“Your favorite.” As usual, he wants to get right to what’s good.

“It’s _iconic_.” Rachel pops the cd into her garish pink cd player. She gestures in welcome to the floor. “It’s also better if you lie down and close your eyes.”

Kurt plays along. He lies down next to Rachel on the carpeted floor. She hasn't told him much about the plot or what the role entails but he’s ready to listen.

“We’re starting at the end of the show,” Rachel says as the first notes compete with the hum of the Berrys’ air conditioning to be heard. “You have to know it ends well with a story like this.”

Kurt peeks an eye open to check the name of the song on the back of the cd case. _I Feel So Much Spring_.

Kurt’s restlessness from earlier in the day calms as he lets the mood of the song affect him. Kurt suspects this song will be his favorite too. He has no idea of the context, but it promises a change. It declares that rotten times have come and gone. After the year he’s had, with all its ups and downs, that certainly appeals. If spring is full of that much hope, what can come of the summer?

Rachel’s dads arrive harmonizing along with the refrain. “ _What was dark so long had felt like winter / Finally, there's sun_.”

“We couldn’t resist. Leroy Berry,” one of Rachel’s dads says with a hand extended to Kurt, who quickly pulls himself off of the floor. “This is my charming other half, Hiram.”

“We played Gordon and Roger once, you know,” Hiram says. His eyes twinkle at a joke Kurt doesn’t understand.

“Who?” Kurt asks.

“The main character and his boyfriend. Leroy was the perfect love interest in our version,” Hiram says. “The whole theatre swooned when he sang to me.”

“It was almost too easy to be called acting,” Leroy agrees. “We were as married as we could be and had a child at that point. Rachel sat in the audience and cheered us on as best as a toddler could, although I doubt she remembers that far back.”

Longing churns Kurt’s stomach. Kurt is sure it shows on his face. What Leroy and Hiram have, complete with the private smile they’re sharing right now, seems so unattainable to someone whose kissing experience spans from the tender crook of his elbow to the girl he spent a week pretending to be straight with for social kudos.

Rachel reaches out for Kurt’s hand and squeezes it.

“If you’re taking song requests, put on ‘Change’ next, please. Kurt, you’re welcome to stay for dinner,” Leroy says.

Kurt looks to Rachel. Are they close enough yet for him to stay? He’s never met her dads before, and he’s always wondered about them; how they are as people, how they are with each other, if he can see himself in them at all. Rachel’s drive and willingness to stand out come from somewhere.

“You should stay,” Rachel says. “You have to hear more to decide you want to audition. And we have to explain it if there’s any hope of making sense of the homeless ladies and frogs and spaghetti.”

Kurt stares again. He liked the song, but is that really what he’s signing up for?

“It’s a weird show,” Rachel explains.

“Can we make spaghetti tonight?” Hiram asks Leroy.

“As long as no one commits to their acting enough to faceplant into it,” Leroy responds. “Is this show the fundraiser? I think we have a flyer on it somewhere. The Lambda Alliance is always short on funds.”

“Good luck getting anyone who isn’t gay to see it _for free_.” Hiram snorts. He holds up a hand to hold off the protest that starts to form on Leroy’s lips. “Money is only part of why to do it. If you want to build a community, absolutely put on a show.”

Rachel ignores both her dads to ask, “Kurt, do you know about the Lambda Alliance?”

“No?” Kurt has never heard of the organization they keep mentioning.

Hiram’s expression immediately turns kinder. “The Greek letter lambda has historically been associated with LGBT rights. The Lima Lambda Alliance does what it can to provide local support. Mostly they try to stay afloat. They don’t even have a physical address of their own – they use the Lima Community Center when they can. They’ve given the local guidance counselors some pamphlets, though.”

Kurt didn’t even know they existed. He holds still as he processes what this information means to him. Not that he could have stopped in – not if they don’t have a physical address. Not that he knows what he would want from them. Not that they could necessarily help. It still matters to know they exist, even here in Lima.

In the background, a woman sings about change. Kurt misses most of the lyrics. “What’s going on?” He gestures toward the CD player.

“Oh, dear, you’re going to ask that for the whole cast recording,” Leroy laughs.

The Berrys play more of the CD for Kurt over dinner and preparation and, between singing along with their favorite parts, talk over each other explaining the plot to him.

“Gordon’s a composer who’s struggling to create anything.”

“He has something wrong with his brain and he thinks he might die, but it’s not a downer. It just explains why this song sounds like a hallucination.”

“The things with the frogs eventually makes sense, I promise.”

“There’s a love story. No one dies or breaks up. It’s practically revolutionary.”

It’s a lot for Kurt to take in, but their enthusiasm is infectious, and the juxtaposition of _weird_ and _musical theatre_ works just fine for Kurt. “Can we play the spring song again?”

***

The Berrys let Kurt take the CD home. He adores “I Feel So Much Spring,” but he can’t picture how the plot unfolds _._ He has a few days to untangle how the pieces fit together if he wants the part.

The more he listens, the more he wants it. Gordon is sarcastic. He isn’t always kind. He struggles with his art and he struggles to be a better person. The narrative forgives him for his flaws and lets him grow. Kurt wants that of his own story as well. It’s a gay part, which means he has a chance, and it’s a non-stereotypical _lead role_ , which means he wants a chance. It’s a weird show, and he likes that too. Maybe for once, everything he is won’t work against him.

He repeats “I Feel So Much Spring” one more time. He can’t figure out the plot yet, and he won’t be able to if he keeps playing the same song on a loop, but it’s so hard for him to resist.

***

Kurt curiously watches the rest of the room at the Lima Community Center that hosts the auditions. He assumed most talent trying out for a show benefiting the only organized support system for LGBT people in the area would have some connection to it, but he didn’t know this many gay people existed in all of Ohio. So far, most of his familiarity with other queer people is through books and the occasional movie punch line. They real people in this small room outnumber all the fictional ones he knows of, including the recent addition of Gordon and Roger in _A New Brain_.

Almost everyone is significantly older than him. Wiry older men with piercings who look they know hard times well. Chubby men who don’t fit the bear prototype either. A woman his grandmother’s age who looks like she belongs to a bicycle gang. Soft butches and hard butches and women who would never ping his gaydar. A couple people whose gender identity Kurt can’t begin to assume. It’s like a breath of fresh air to be surrounded by such a wide spectrum of self-expression so unlike the narrow confines of acceptability in his small town public school system. His summer is shaping up to be different already, and he’s so ready for it.

He watches the few boys roughly his age with the most interest. He looks for either a bit of himself in them or a spark of interest that actually has a chance of being reciprocated.

Kurt looks the longest at one teenage boy in particular who works the room like every person there is about to be his best friend if they aren’t already. His confidence and enthusiasm pull focus from everyone else. The same is true while they’re led through silly acting warm-ups and vocal exercises by the directors, who introduce themselves as real-life partners Jan and Liz. Even as they sit down for longer-form auditions, Kurt’s attention strays to the boy across the room who thrums with energy.

Leave it to Kurt to zero in the most unattainable option and immediately want him desperately.

“We have a change of plans,” Liz says to the crowd. “Our music director has been delayed, so we’re stuck with the karaoke tracks I have in my car for accompaniment, which gives you…anything on the _Grease_ soundtrack or from _Annie_ , as well as, um, selections from _Legally Blonde_ and ‘Think of Me’ from _Phantom of the Opera_.”

“This is just to get a feel for what you can do,” Jan reassures. “We’re not expecting perfectly rehearsed, just give us something we can work with.”

Kurt weighs his options. “A hard knock life” sounds like something he can relate to, but he doesn’t need help seeming too young for the role he wants. He could blow the whole room away with out-diva-ing _Phantom of the Opera_ , but he wants to showoff his lower range too.

Kurt is peripherally aware of auditions beginning while he mentally debates. “Tomorrow” is promised again and again in varying levels of conviction. People read lyrics off their phones or make them up for songs they never meant to choose. They make do surprisingly well, but problem-solving how to tackle his own takes most of Kurt’s focus.

“Hi, everyone, my name is Blaine Anderson, and I’m going to do something a little different,” the boy who previously caught Kurt’s eye says with a charming smile when it’s his turn. “I’m a big fan of the show and this organization. This song isn’t what I originally prepared, but I know it by heart. So, um, here we go.”

Blaine sits down at the hereto-ignored piano and starts to play.

Kurt scoots forward on the bench. He couldn’t ignore Blaine if he wanted to.

Blaine oozes stage presence while he sings [a Phil Collins song from a Disney movie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDSH8fLeeb4). Kurt watches with admiration. No hesitation, no sign of nerves mars Blaine’s handsome features. His voice is breathy and exuberant as he makes each line about “Strangers Like Me” sounds sincere. His eyes squeeze shut and his nose scrunches one moment, and he makes direct eye contact the next, grooving while he plays like the piano isn’t a hindrance at all.

Kurt is charmed. The song perfectly voices how Kurt feels being here, surrounded by more queer people than he’s ever met, familiar and completely foreign at the same time. He’s always felt like a stranger himself. If Kurt works up the courage, he’ll congratulate Blaine when all this is done. It’ll be an excuse to say hi. He desperately wants to say _something_ to Blaine.

Blaine seems to know he’s done well. He doesn’t hide the pride in his smile at the cheers that break out. “Thank you!”

“No promises, but what roles would you prefer?” Jan asks.

Without hesitation, Blaine says, “Gordon, absolutely. I would love to be considered for that part. But I’d be happy to play just about anyone!”

Kurt’s stomach drops. He wasn’t thinking about Blaine as competition. Gordon is a composer, and the piano accompaniment on certain songs on the cast recording suddenly makes sense to Kurt – Blaine just raised the bar in being perfect for the part. Kurt will have to top t _hat_.

In his panic over figuring out how to approach his own impending audition, Kurt debates switching songs to one he can play on the piano, but he’ll seem like he’s copying Blaine if he does that. It will make Blaine’s performance seem less special, but Kurt Hummel is 100% original, thank you very much. He’s not going to make himself seem less special as well just to take out his cute competition. He needs a new way to stand out. Something that will highlight how perfect _he_ is for the part he so desperately wants.

Blaine makes plotting against him harder by interrupting.

“Is this seat taken?” Blaine asks with a smile that says he fully expects Kurt to agree, but he waits with a charming tilt of his head for confirmation. He has an air about him of someone used to being liked. “I’m Blaine.”

“I know. You just said… I mean… Kurt.” Kurt wonders how much of his internal flailing shows. Finally he gets attention from a cute boy, and he’s going to ruin it all in a few minutes. As soon as it’s Kurt’s turn, Blaine won’t want anything to do with him, because he’ll be the competition.

Kurt holds out his hand and Blaine sinks into the bench. Blaine is distractingly good looking from this incredibly close distance. Kurt gives him plenty of space, but Blaine sits close and angles toward Kurt until their knees bump. Kurt is nervous and thrilled. Blaine _chose_ to sit close to him. The room has far more seating than they can fill – Blaine doesn’t have to sit next to anyone, least of all Kurt.

“You know, I think I was shaking the first time I walked in here.” Blaine comments conversationally, like he’s discussing something as mild as the weather. He gives Kurt a knowing look. His voice is low as the next person steps up for the unenviable task of following Blaine’s audition. “It’s great here, though. Everyone’s really friendly, especially to newcomers. I’ll show you around later if you’d like.”

“I’m not scared,” Kurt says. He wonders how much his expression undermines him. “Nervous about the audition, maybe,” he amends. He’ll let the audition take responsibility for all the nerves caused by Blaine.

“It’s not so scary. Promise.” Blaine’s nose wrinkles like it did in his audition. If the situation were different, Kurt would gladly swoon over every face Blaine makes.

“You were great.” Kurt might not get a chance to say later; it’ll mean something different when they’re officially competitors. He might not feel so gracious later either.

“I’m sure you’ll be great too. Just do what you can to stand out.”

“Not a problem for me.”

“I didn’t think it would be.” Blaine bumps against Kurt’s shoulder. “I don’t know a lot of songs by heart, but if you’re really freaked out by the karaoke tracks, you’re welcome to ‘Pachelbel’s Canon’ and ‘Happy Birthday’? I might be able to fake something else…”

Blaine trails off as his line of sight falls on Kurt’s sheet music. His face falls.

“Oh no,” Blaine murmurs, his tone completely different from almost-flirty a moment ago. “I was so focused on my own thing I didn’t think. I seem like a total cutthroat jerk now, don’t I? I changed songs because I didn’t want to do one where I didn’t have the piano accompaniment memorized, but I could have offered to sight read for other people. I didn’t think of it.”

Kurt waves off Blaine’s concern. “I don’t think anyone can expect that from you. It’s a competition.”

“It’s _community_ theatre, not the hunger games. What kind of person would behave like that when they could help people out instead? Crap. Excuse me.”

Blaine hurries over to Liz and Jan looking genuinely distraught, excusing himself as he slips past others and ducking to not block their view of the current audition. Whatever words Blaine has to say spill out of him in a rush. Jan pats Blaine’s arm and coaxes him into taking a seat next to her. The offer of Blaine’s accompaniment remains unextended.

Whether Blaine is sincere or projecting an image, Kurt can’t begin to guess. It would be nice to believe someone could fret that much over wanting and failing to help. Either way, Blaine’s departure effectively closes the window in which Kurt can work up the courage to flirt. He doesn’t have time to mourn the crush that might have been; his own turn approaches.

“Kurt?” Liz calls out. “You’re next.”

Kurt rises. He leaves the sheet music behind. An idea takes shape, and not a moment too soon. Blaine isn’t the only one who can make a unique voice and style work for him. Kurt won’t rely on anything but his voice to carry him through. He thinks of what he wants this summer to be and launches into an a capella version of the song that has haunted him for days.

“[ _I feel so much spring within me_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGMwvc_7MQQ)_/ Blow winds blow / Spring has just begun_ ”

He can feel their attention stronger than a moment ago. The directors and Blaine and all the people Kurt was watching now watch him. Nothing detracts from how much he wants to believe each word he sings about starting anew. He closes his eyes and emotes for the back of the Lima Community Center.

“ _And something’s taking wing within me / What was dark so long had felt like winter / Finally, there's sun_ ”

He was meant to sing this song. He feels it already. It’s the crux of the show and he’ll make them feel it too. The words comes out like an exhale after holding his breath too long. “ _And so I sing / That I feel so much spring_.”

There’s a pregnant pause before applause erupts.

“That was lovely, Kurt. Thank you,” Liz says.

By her side, Blaine whoops between cupped hands.

Jan asks Kurt the same question she asked Blaine. “No guarantees, but what role do you have your eye on?”

Kurt mentally says goodbye to what could have been with Blaine before saying, “I want to be Gordon Schwinn.”


	2. Chapter 2

The next time Kurt returns to the Lima Community Center, it’s to find out his fate. All he knows is that he has a part. Jan and Liz announce that the cast list has been posted and promise Kurt on the call that there’s a part for him. The rest will be revealed in person. ~~~~

On his drive over, Kurt wonders how high to hope. He wants to play Gordon so bad he can’t even think of a consolation. The preacher? The thin nurse? The nice nurse? No, he’s not convinced to settle for something else even hypothetically. He feels so much affinity with Gordon Schwinn already – his desire to make art that matters, his frustrations, his vulnerability and the distance he puts between himself and others because of it, his sometimes too brusque manner.

If he lets himself hope, then maybe this is his chance to be the star instead of swaying in the background waiting his turn. Maybe Kurt won’t have to contend with another disappointment. Maybe this will be a summer so good it helps Kurt survive the rest of the year.

Blaine arrives right behind Kurt, and it’s like the whole community center turns to take him in. Blaine and his perfectly sculpted curls looking like a modern take on classic Hollywood. Blaine and his ability to charm a room senseless. Who moves so easily through the world. Kurt gets it, he does. He can also see how dreamy Blaine is. He wants to watch every move Blaine makes too. If Kurt didn’t want to find out about his part in the show so desperately, he’d stop in his tracks and sigh to himself about all the possibilities a boy like Blaine represents – out, Kurt’s age, incredibly sweet if taken at face value. All the possibilities Kurt doesn’t get to pursue because Blaine is absolutely Kurt’s biggest competition. Kurt’s slim chance with Blaine disappears completely given they want the same role. ~~~~

Kurt makes it to the cast list first. He’s been to enough Black Friday sales to know how to speed walk, and how to work his way up to the front of a crowd without pissing off everyone around him. He slips by until the cast list is right in front of him.

His name is at the top of the list. Kurt Hummel will play Gordon Schwinn. Kurt bounces on his heels and just barely holds in a squeal of excitement. He’s going to get what he wants. How rare is that? This will be a memory he’ll count on to get through another year. When he needs to remember what happiness feels like, he’ll go back to this moment.

The woman who will play Mr. Bungee claps him on the shoulder. “Congrats. It’s going to be a blast terrorizing you.”

Being touched by someone he barely knows doesn’t usually end well, but Kurt thankfully doesn’t startle too badly. Maybe by the end of summer he’ll stop flinching altogether.

Blaine’s hopeful expression slips when it’s his turn to see. “Oh, I… I guess…” His tone is full of disappointment, but he’s perfectly polite as he turns to Kurt and says, “Congratulations. Your audition was amazing.”

Compliments are the quickest way to Kurt’s heart. Kurt’s spirits are high enough that he thinks maybe he can flirt with his competition after all, now that the competition is over. Kurt’s shoulder dips, fully prepared to shimmy. “You were great too. I… I already told you that. You know. But you’re really… that.”

Blaine ducks his head at the compliment and laughs out his “thank you.” It’s the cutest thing Kurt has ever seen, including all the kitten videos the internet has to offer. He can’t feel embarrassed for tripping over his own tongue when Blaine reacts like that.

“Your song was perfect.” Kurt grins because he manages to get those words out just fine. Hope for a summer romance wells.

“It wasn’t what I planned.”

“All the more impressive! It really worked. At least for me.”

“Thank you.”

As they fawn over each other, Kurt hopes they get to work together. With enough practice, he’ll get better at this flirting thing. He glances back toward the cast list. Blaine is here at the Lima Community Center again, which means he has a part. Kurt doesn’t catch Blaine’s name on the list soon enough for his glance to stay a glance and not become a stare. “How do you feel about who you’ll be?”

“It’s not what I expected, but I screwed it up for myself, so, you know.” Blaine makes a self-deprecating face. “I guess you heard me say what I wanted. It’s not really a secret. Maybe if I hadn’t ruined everything…”

Kurt can feel his veins turn to ice. His spine and shoulders straighten out of their coy tilt. “You still wouldn’t have my part.”

No one is going to diminish Kurt’s achievement right in front of him. No one is ruining this moment. Kurt has few enough sources of happiness as it is. He’s not letting anyone “joke” about being better than him.

Blaine blinks. His smile drops haltingly. He looks at Kurt like he hopes he misheard.

“It’s rude to imply the only reason I won is because you made a mistake, which _literally no one else_ cares about.”

That gets to him. “Kurt, I didn’t mean… I’m not _trying_ to be a jerk, unlike some people.”

Kurt isn’t sorry. Not for what he said, anyway. Just for the outcome. It was so nice for such a short amount of time to have Blaine’s attention and think he could hold onto it like a firefly in a glass. He almost believed he could have a summer romance to chase away the school year blues.

When Kurt doesn’t apologize, Blaine gives him a dirty look and then composes himself and heads in Jan and Liz’s direction. Kurt still refuses to let himself feel regret. Even with the threat of consequences when Blaine tells on him for not being a team player. Kurt cranes his neck to watch the short exchange between Blaine and the directors. Blaine doesn’t storm out and he doesn’t pitch a fit – he doesn’t look anything but _earnest_ for them - but the fit may still come. Kurt will need to keep a wary eye on him.

Kurt reads further down the cast list. Blaine is cast as Roger, the love interest. Kurt paid little attention to the role of Roger leading up to the auditions because he can pretend to be many things, but a baritone isn’t one of them. But now Roger will be _his_ love interest. He’s never had a love interest before, scripted or real.

“Well, that part’s regrettable,” Kurt huffs under his breath. A love interest played by the cute boy who doesn’t like him. Kurt will have to pay attention to both Roger and Blaine now. He’ll have to share the stage _with Blaine_ , who is now sulking on the other side of the room and resolutely acting like Kurt’s side of the room doesn’t exist.

Jan and Liz address the crowd to talk through how they’ll approach rehearsal and what each of them should do to prepare before they convene again. Kurt remains aware of Blaine across the room, ankles crossed like the most attentive pupil as soon as they begin speaking.

“Okay, everyone, welcome back!” Jan says. “We’re thrilled at the enthusiasm we’ve seen from everyone who wants to be part of this show. We haven’t directed something like this before, but we’ll figure it out together.”

They hand out scripts. Turning the script over in his hands makes it more real for Kurt. This is how he will choose to spend his summer. How he’ll fill his days. How he’ll become less lonely, with any luck. Hiram said this was one way to build a community.

Kurt flips ahead to see what scenes Gordon and Roger have together.

“Wait, Kurt! Can you wait up for a moment? I want to talk.” Blaine closes the space between them and then some as everyone else goes their separate ways after rehearsal. He doesn’t seem to have the same requirement for distance as most people. It’d be intimidating if he weren’t tiny and earnest.

Kurt takes a step back.

“I think we should work on our relationship.” Blaine amps up the charm as if they weren’t fighting just a moment ago. As if none of it even _happened_.

“Our characters’ relationship.” Kurt doesn’t give permission for his eyelashes to flutter. The traitors. He can’t help the hope that maybe everything isn’t ruined between them because of a bout of envy/jealousy, even though it goes against everything he knows about other boys his age.

“Yes. That. Absolutely.” Blaine nods and grins. It’s so disarming. Kurt wonders if Blaine knows that and if that’s why he does it. Clearly some of how Blaine is has to be an act. He was sulking mere moments before.

“I want to get it right. So, in the spirit of building _that_ together, do you want to… spend more time together? I was thinking we could go to the lake? I don’t know how to sail, but they have paddleboats. We should be able to manage that.”

Kurt has no clue what to make of Blaine’s suggestion. His body doesn’t seem to understand he shouldn’t trust the cute boy making plans with him, if the continued eyelash fluttering is any indication. He should know better. In Kurt’s experience, offers like this don’t come without ulterior motives. Blaine has every reason to resent him and not a single one to be kind. It’s just an excuse to go to a second location where Blaine can’t get in as much trouble for whatever his real motivation is. Probably revenge. Kurt waits for Blaine’s sinister plot to unfold.

“I was thinking we could picnic after we walk along the water?”

Make Kurt fall in love with him: the most sinister plot of them all. Blaine’s suggestion is the closest Ohio has to long walks on the beach. Kurt could twist it into a date in his mind, but only if he wants to drop his caution held between them like a shield.

“My big song is about sailing,” Blaine continues. “Feeling out that theme would be nice. So would spending time together. I’ll cover the gas money if you drive.”

It’s ultimately the offer of gas money that sways him. If Kurt drives, he doesn’t have to worry about Blaine dropping him in the middle of the woods without a way to get home. If Kurt gets to drive, he gets to keep some control of the situation.

“Okay. Let’s do it.” Kurt still has concerns, and he may be wary of an impending revenge plot - it’s a long way for Blaine’s friends to go to pelt him with water balloons or try to drown him, but not out of the realm of possibilities – but he’ll figure out how to deal with the fallout later. For just a moment, he wants to pretend Blaine’s invitation could be real.

***

At Rachel’s insistence, Kurt ends up having brunch with the Berrys to share his audition results. It feels like a celebration. Hiram pours orange juice into champagne flutes. They toast his success. Kurt is once again grateful he didn’t turn Rachel’s offer of friendship away. He doesn’t have to celebrate alone. Her whole family already treats him like an extension of theirs.

“Who’s your Roger? Is he cute?” Rachel asks.

Kurt sighs. “The cutest.” He contents himself with how nice it feels to have the Berrys’ as his audience. His brief crush on Blaine might not be the epic romance of his dreams, but he doesn’t have to worry about making them uncomfortable with acknowledging its existence.

“That sigh is a little angsty for puppy love.” Leroy observes.

“He auditioned for my part.” Kurt needs to start crushing on untalented boys. They’re probably much easier to deal with. Less competition, at least.

Rachel nods in immediate understanding. “Is he jealous?”

“Who wouldn’t be?” for once, Kurt is in the enviable position. He decides against saying anything about Blaine’s seemingly nice gesture of sending time together that may or may not be a fueled by jealousy.

“Roger can be a great part too,” Hiram says.

“Flattering me all these years later?” Leroy smiles more coquettishly than Kurt would think a dad in his 50s could.

Kurt’s pang of longing returns. He has his role, but wanting more continues. He wants someone he can look at like that. Someone who will look at him that way back. Despite his recent success, Kurt seems to always want more.

“We sold that romance so hard. It’d be easy to focus on the bickering and forget to show how much they love each other, but that’s very much the point. Watching Leroy in that part made me appreciate him even more. Naturally, I already knew I was in love with him - we were raising a toddler together - but the way Roger is there for Gordon reminded me of the man playing him who was similarly persistent in loving me. Roger is a source of calm for Gordon. That's what his whole sailing motif is about - being okay taking time to enjoy his life. Sometimes the best things take time.” Hiram raises his glass to Kurt once more.  “If this boy is sensible, with time he’ll come to appreciate playing your love interest _and_ you.”

Rachel clinks her orange juice loudly against Kurt’s. “Cheers to that!”

***

Kurt gets more nervous as his plans with Blaine get closer. It moves from a worry in the back of his mind to an occupying thought. What should he expect from Blaine?

The night before the lake trip, Mercedes calls. Kurt almost tumbles off his bed in his scramble to reach his phone.

“Mercedes! Is something wrong?” They don’t seem to believe in phones on mission trips or at summer camps. Her time isn’t supposed to be spent on social calls. He’s not entirely sure what all her mission trip entails – he remembers something about renovating a community center and stocking a food pantry – but she stressed before leaving that she wouldn’t have much time to herself.

“I’m checking in on you,” Mercedes says with such warmth that Kurt misses her even more keenly. “I don’t have long, but we can talk a few minutes.”

“Ah, more community service?” Kurt cracks. He feels calmer just hearing her voice. It means so much that she offers to share what small amount of time she has with Kurt. “Can finding me a boyfriend be part of your mission?”

“Oh, I guess you’re pretty needy,” Mercedes teases.

“You’d practically have to work a miracle.”

As usual, Mercedes is more perceptive than she gets credit for. “Is it me, or do you have boys on the mind more than usual? What’s up?”

“Just find me one who won’t hate me, please.” Kurt says drolly. The longer he thinks on the accuracy of that statement, the more it hurts.

“One day,” she promises.

College is always the answer. Boys will be more accepting, the world will be kinder. How soon is too soon to start a college countdown? He has so much to accomplish before then, but he also can't wait too much longer for something to happen that will make it feel like he’s waiting for his whole life to begin. A boyfriend isn’t the perfect cure to all loneliness, but other people get to have their romances, and Kurt has been one of a kind for so long.

“Maybe one day will be sooner than you think.”

Kurt tells her about the audition and Blaine and the lake, and all the hopes and worries he has pinned on it.

“Go. How bad could it be?” Mercedes asks.

Kurt thinks of egg dripping down Rachel’s face. Of wiping slushie ice from his eyes knowing the dye would stain. Of being thrown into a dumpster like garbage. Of standing between Karofsky and Tina while he threatened to beat her up. Finn was the kindest boy Kurt knew – an admittedly low bar – and he still called everything about Kurt faggy. Kurt can imagine plenty of terrible things that people can do to each other.

“Maybe that wasn’t the right question,” Mercedes amends. “Assuming a base level of decency, though, how bad?”

“Not enough to make me regret winning.”

Mercedes laughs. “Sounds right.”

“I don’t think it’s real,” Kurt confesses. How embarrassing is that? Enough that Mercedes is the only one he can admit it to. His date is likely a prank. “It not being a date at all I could deal with, but a joke…”

“You don’t have to go, Kurt. I’ll take my advice back.”

“I have to know, though.” He always has to find out. He’s not the kind of person who handles _what ifs_ well.

Mercedes sighs at him but doesn’t argue. “Looks like I’m calling you again soon, then.”


	3. Chapter 3

Kurt dresses for the lake like he’s going into battle. A battle that will be photographed from every angle that he wants to look cute in. Thankfully his wardrobe can accommodate his dual purpose.

He’s off to see a lake and a boy. The thought of the two is both ominous and hopeful in his mind.

Kurt pulls up to the address Blaine gave him. He checks the numbering twice before getting out of his car. The garage door is open. So is the hood of the gorgeous old-fashioned car inside. It’s a quintessential cherry red. Kurt sees a lot of cars at his dad’s shop, but he’s not allowed near most of them, at least not for anything other than checking the oil. He doesn’t get to _enjoy_ them. He bounds toward the petite form bent over the engine.

“Okay, I love my car like I would love a baby, but that is _beautiful_ and clearly we should take yours. I’ll still drive.”

“It doesn’t run yet,” a voice that definitely doesn’t belong to Blaine responds. A much older man turns to get a good look at Kurt, wiping his hands on a towel. “You can tell Blaine to spend more time on it if he wants joyrides. I can’t seem to convince him.”

“I, um… Hi, Mr. Anderson?” Kurt hopes he’s not mistaken again. The longer he stands awkwardly in front of his friend(?)’s father, the more he can see the resemblance. He looks like Blaine but with 30 more years of life experience, darker skin, and a neatly kept beard. He curiously tilts his head at Kurt in the same way, like Kurt is an amusing puzzle to be solved.

Kurt stammers through getting out, “I’m here to pick up Blaine. In my own car! I don’t know if he told you.” He suspects this is what it’s like to pick up a date, although he only has movies for reference.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, young man who doesn’t have a name but wants to drive my kid to an unknown location.” He’d sound scary, but then he _winks_. Kurt can definitely see the resemblance.

“Kurt Hummel, and the exact location is unknown to me too, so… I promise we weren’t going to steal your car.”

“Like I said, it doesn’t work, so I’m not too concerned.” Mr. Anderson frowns at the engine. “I thought Blaine might work on it with me today, but I suppose…”

“Hey, Kurt, looks like you found me!” Blaine only misses one bouncing step when he catches sight of them standing together in the garage. He adjusts his grip on the tote bag slung over one shoulder. “Um. Okay. Bye, Dad!”

“You didn’t tell me where you’re going.”

Blaine halts at Mr. Anderson’s tone. “Well, I… don’t usually? Just out for a few hours. I’ll be back for dinner.”

The way Blaine holds himself – confident, adorable and used to being indulged – changes completely. Kurt didn’t think it was possible for Blaine to speak with so little bravado. Kurt feels like he shouldn’t be watching whatever this is unfold, but also like he shouldn’t look away.

“Okay.”

“Is it?” Blaine’s earnestness threatens to break Kurt’s heart.

“Be safe,” Blaine’s dad says in response. There’s a hard edge that doesn’t match the warmth Kurt heard from him a moment ago.

Kurt spares a parting glance for the beautiful car as he follows Blaine to his own. He catches Mr. Anderson’s stumped look and wonders what to think.

“Sorry. He doesn’t usually _care_.” Blaine buckles up and starts playing with the comfort controls on the passenger side. It keeps his hands and his focus occupied.

“How do you have a car like that and not want to fix it?” Who could be so close to something so beautiful and not want it? If Kurt had a chance at it, he’d build an entire daydream of the life this car would provide him.

“My dad’s the one who wants it.” Blaine sighs. “If I fix it up by my birthday, I get to keep it. That was the deal he gave me. But I don’t think the strings will end there. There’s this life he associates with it, where it makes me cool and girls will, like, want me for it.”

“Boys will want you for it too.”

Blaine makes the cutest face in response – a combination of skepticism and delight at the flattery that makes Kurt blush for offering it. That was awfully close to flirting. Are they back to flirting already? Kurt was a least going to hold out until after confirming if their time together turns out to be a joke at his expense.

“I’m saving up for a clunker of my own. If it’s mine, I can do what I want with it. I won’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks I should be doing with it. That’s all I want from a car. Maybe this summer…”

Kurt wants to watch Blaine, but he watches the road instead. “Your dad said I should try to convince you to fix the one you have so we can take it out.”

Blaine scoffs. “He would.”

“No, come on, Blaine. I don’t think he meant as bros. I don’t think anyone looks at me and assumes heterosexual male bonding is in anyone’s future. Maybe the car doesn’t mean what you think it does.”

Blaine looks heartbreakingly hopeful.

“Your dad wouldn’t be the first to try to say I love you with car parts.” Kurt pats his steering wheel affectionately. He got the Navigator from his dad almost a year ago. “We didn’t really know what to say to each other, but cars mean something to my dad, and I got that. We’ve been working on the rest.”

“You think it’s the same for us?” Blaine asks.

Kurt and his dad are getting better. They’ve come a long way – from Kurt protecting his dad from knowing about the bigotry he faces, to his dad protecting him from it – and he hopes they still have more progress they can make, and one day his dad can talk to him about being gay without grimacing. He hopes the same progress for Blaine and his dad’s future relationship. Maybe Kurt is easily duped by a handsome face – Blaine’s good looks clearly run in his family – but he wants to believe the best of both Anderson men.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s worth finding out if he’s worth believing the best in,” Kurt offers.

Blaine’s mood picks up after that. He stops slumping in the passenger seat. Kurt relaxes along with him. It’s hard to see a boy who belts along with Mariah Carey on the radio and asks Kurt to name his top five movie musicals as dangerous. Blaine lists _High School Musical_ and _High School Musical 2_ without irony or apology, also contributing to his harmless image. He’s good company. They arrive sooner than Kurt expects.

They park while Blaine sings along with his favorite song from _A New Brain_ – Gordon’s misguided attempt at writing an upbeat kids’ song about saying yes to what opportunities or challenges come their way ( _Yes I'll be fearless / yes I'll be honest / yes I will live my life with emotion…_ ) – and Blaine stops singing long enough to ask, “Can we let the song finish? The song says you should say yes.”

“ _Except when a stranger says get into my car / Say no!_ ” the cast recording borrowed from the Berrys sings before Kurt can respond. Kurt and Blaine both crack up.

“You invited yourself!” Kurt defends. They laugh hard enough to overshadow the following line about the circumstances in which to say no to losing you virginity. “You didn’t even tell me you _couldn’t_ drive, presumably because you’re not old enough _and you didn’t tell me that either_ , you just tried to sweet talk me into it.”

Blaine shrugs off being called out. “Well, it’s a good thing you’re perfectly safe anyway. I don’t think I have anything to be afraid of here.”

Blaine sounds so trusting. Kurt doesn’t understand him at all, this sweet and cocky almost-16 year old who tries to project an image of someone older and more put together, but the more time Kurt spends with him, the more Kurt enjoys trying to figure him out.

“What should we do first?” Blaine asks. He leads them toward the lake regardless, his tote bag slung over one shoulder. Waves crash against the small shore on an idyllic summer day.

Kurt follows more haltingly. “Any ulterior motives you want to tell me about?”

“I…what?”

Kurt means to follow with an accusation of friends lying in wait, or docks to push him off of. He means to relish the drama of calling Blaine out, as planned, like all the bullies that came before him. But he doesn’t believe it anymore. As hard as it is to wrap his mind around, he doesn’t believe Blaine has an ulterior motive beyond spending time together and enjoying the water.

He lets his fears wash away like debris on the waves they approach.

“Like, did you really bring me to the water to study your character? Or is it one of your similar interests, like the chinos?” Kurt’s eyes flit from the patterned anchors embroidered on Blaine’s shorts to his boat shoes perfectly on theme for a character who sings an ode to sailing. He smiles belatedly so Blaine will realize he’s playing. “Is this a character study or an excuse to play?”

“That, and he has to fall in love with your character,” Blaine says completely without shame. “You and the boats are supposed to be his favorite things. I should at least understand both.”

Blaine kicks off his boat shoes and chases the tide without a glance back to see if Kurt will follow, shrieking with delight when ice-cold water splashes higher than anticipated around his calves. The boats further out create waves mimicking the ocean. Kurt watches from the shore. He moves just close enough to the edge of the waterline that he won’t get wet himself. He and Blaine dressed for completely different seasons. Blaine is ready to be kissed by the sun in a lightweight cotton tank and shorts that hit mid-thigh. Kurt looks ready for a storm.

After a moment of play, Blaine turns back and puts on a brave face. “I guess there is more. I think we could be friends at the very least. I thought we had a connection.”

“We did. Do.” Kurt’s composure doesn’t betray how his mind races. What’s the “more” option? Can he choose that? Is it an option still?

“I don’t want us to miss out on something we could have had. I think we’ll end up getting along eventually, so why not skip past the needless, emotionally exhausting drama to the part where we do? No one has to lament wasted time. No one has to do their best _Pride and Prejudice_ impression. We can just…not.” Blaine’s honeyed smile adds extra encouragement to believing his words.

The corner of Kurt’s mouth twitches with relief. His taste for drama has left him. He’d also like to skip right to being…friends? Maybe real life love interests? However, Kurt’s curiosity insists on asking one more thing he still wants to know. “Aren’t you mad at me? Didn’t you tell on me to Jan and Liz?”

“I thanked them for the opportunity because that’s the polite thing to do.”

“For a role you don’t even want.”

“It’s not that I don’t… I’m out of my depth here, but I’m not going to screw up again.”

“Never ever?” Kurt can’t help the eyebrow arch.

“Okay, I am from like, this point until the end of time, but not on this.” Blaine sounds so determined. He chooses his words carefully. “I’ve played a part like this before. You know, the romance. It’s definitely in my wheelhouse. I just don’t know if it’s _right_ for me. I’ve been the scared guy in the hospital. I know about thinking I’m going to die and the rush of optimism that comes from a reprieve. I’ve never been anyone’s boyfriend. I don’t know much of anything about being there for someone else.”

“I’m nervous too. About getting it all wrong.” It seems only fair Kurt open up in exchange. “It’s not even about serious stuff; it’s stuff like wearing a hospital gown for most of the show given my struggles with gracefulness.”

“You’d make it cute.”

“You’re supposed to tell me I won’t fall,” Kurt scolds with a small smile.

“It won’t be a big deal if you do. It’d be in character. What else?”

“I think we’ll kiss?” Kurt has never had a stage kiss. He’s not even sure he’s had a real kiss. He’d like a kiss to be about attraction for it to count. Does that mean a stage kiss with Blaine will count more than kissing Brittany in real life while still playing a part?

“We definitely do.” Blaine seems to know the script better. Kurt wonders how much he studied it. “After I serenade you about how we should have sex, for one.”

“And the, um, showering together.” Gordon and Roger definitely shower together – there’s a whole song about it – but is it offstage? It has to be offstage, right? Unless they have to do an awkward pantomime behind a curtain. Kurt flushes and hopes he can blame it on the sun.

“Worried you’ll melt?” Blaine splashes at him but purposefully misses. “Do you want to go in, by the way?” Blaine nods toward the waves crashing behind him.

“I didn’t dress for the water.”

“What did you think we were going to do at a lake?” Blaine teases.

Kurt’s boots have good traction. His legs and arms are protected. Kurt spends a moment wishing he made the more hopeful choice - the water is too beautiful not to appreciate it.

Blaine tilts his head, and Kurt is clearly not the only one trying to figure the other out. He doesn’t press the issue, though, and resumes playing in the water by himself. He’s considerate enough to keep splashes small and far from Kurt. The sun beats down, making the water all the more inviting. Kurt feels every sweltering inch of confinement. He watches Blaine from as close as he can get. His sense of joy is enviable. He hums to himself. The tune takes a moment for Kurt to recognize from the show – Roger’s song of longing for the sea that inspired this trip.

“What scares you?” Kurt asks.

“Bees?” Blaine smiles at the answer he knows Kurt isn’t looking for and adds, “I also find recycling really satisfying from both an organization and a saving the world standpoint.”

“About Roger. You said romance, but that can’t be that hard for you.” Blaine mentioned serenading him about sex so matter of factly that Kurt can’t see him being embarrassed. He didn’t seem flustered by the thought of a stage kiss (or two or three). Maybe that’s too simplified. There’s more to portray than attraction, more than a kiss. Kurt’s fears are about things he has to do, the physicality of it, while he suspects Blaine’s are about feelings he has to convey.

“It should be simple,” Blaine agrees. He goes back to humming his song.

“You don’t have to say.” If he doesn’t want to feel it, he presumably doesn’t want to talk about it either, and he’s only just beginning to get to know Kurt. “But you seem to know the show better – is there a scene we should work through? We can start getting comfortable with it together.”

Blaine dodges answering by teasing, “And then we can work on your fear of water?”

“I’m not afraid.” It’s a lie. Kurt’s had so much to fear. So many walls to put up. So many reasons to explain why he doesn’t follow Blaine in. It’s not the water itself, but trusting Blaine’s invitation is sincere. He didn’t trust Blaine when he got dressed for the morning. Now he’s stuck wanting to follow him but not sure how.

“Prove it.” Light flashes in Blaine’s eyes.

“You’re deflecting.”

“It’s summer. Don’t you want to feel it around you? Cool off? The water’s fine. It’s beautiful out here. In fact…” With a self-aware smile Blaine turns his humming into a song.

“ _[I'd rather be sailing, yes, I would](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Syd1Pyc0M) / On an open sea,” _ he sings at Kurt with a wicked grin like a siren tempting Kurt into the water. _“I'd stand there inhaling if I could / Feeling wild and free_ ”

Blaine is nothing if not a showboat. He gives it all for his audience of one. Proving that longing can be calm and sure.

“ _The sun is on my neck, the wind is in my face / The water's incredibly blue / And I'd rather be sailing / Yes, I'd wanna go sail / And then come home to you_ ”

Kurt wants to believe this is what Blaine flirting looks like. He doesn’t believe it’s a prank anymore, but it could still be a figment of his imagination; Blaine is _acting_ now. Well, mostly he’s showing off. Showing off is a date-like activity, right?

The scenarios Kurt imagined for this day ended long before this point - usually in disaster - not lingering into a maybe-date. Picnics. Paddleboats. Opening up to someone he’s just beginning to know. How is this his life?

Kurt inhales along with the lyrics. It seems a waste to stand on the shore and resist something he could enjoy.

He sheds one layer, then another. He leaves what he can at the shore.

Blaine crows.

Kurt starts with the boots. Slim-fit jeans roughly transform into capris before they refuse to budge any more. Goodbye to long sleeves and a vest. Forget everyone in the last several years who has thrown him away like garbage, who has used getting him alone to hurt him. Everything breathes easier with that extra weight gone.

The lakeshore isn’t like the sandy beaches of other people’s summers. It’s rougher. Rocks and little pebbles that shift under Kurt’s weight as he moves. Kurt watches them as he picks his way past the waterline. Water curls around his ankles.

“Don’t splash me,” Kurt warns without heat.

Blaine delicately extends a palm-open hand for Kurt to take. It’s an unnecessary, courteous gesture that Kurt has never been offered before. He won’t fall without it, but he gladly holds Blaine’s hand.

Kurt only gets a few paces in before he has to stop.

“Progress,” Blaine grins. “I’d say it’s more murky than blue here, but it’s a start.”

Kurt wants to kiss that grin. He’ll have to crash through the water to reach.

“I can carry you out where it is if you want.”

Kurt laughs. Blaine can’t be serious.

“You can’t go to a lake and not go more than two steps in the water. Let me help.”

“I’m not helping you throw me in.”

“I wouldn’t.” Blaine is once again overwhelmingly earnest. “I just want you to experience it.”

Blaine may have a large personality, but he’s roughly Kurt’s size, which is to say small for his age. Kurt doesn’t entirely believe Blaine can carry him, and trusting Blaine goes against Kurt’s original plans for the day, but he believes the only way he’ll end up drenched is if they both go down, and that’s acceptable enough.

At Kurt’s “Okay.” Blaine twirls under their still-clasped hands.

"Think of it as a hug," Blaine says when encouraging Kurt to cling to him. “We’re going to make out on stage later – we’re totally at the point in our relationship for hugs.”

Kurt can't say he gets many of those, but Blaine’s blasé attitude makes it easier for Kurt to hold on tight. He’s never had someone offer to do this for him. There’s too much touching and trust involved.

The waves crash around Blaine’s calves, then his knees. They go deep enough for Kurt’s toes to skim the water. Until they’re well and truly surrounded even when the waves recede. Kurt admires the water as it becomes more clear and blue. It’s as beautiful as promised. Holding onto Blaine might help that impression. Blaine feels out each step he takes on slick rocks and wet sand, far more careful about not splashing than he was on his own.

Their tumble into the water seems inevitable. The water is cool as it splashes over them both. Blaine is all apologies as he helps Kurt back up. Blaine holds onto him like he’s worried Kurt might drown. As usual, he leaves no room between them.

“I’m so sorry! That’s not how this was supposed to go. We’ll just call that a preview of the crash and burn that is me combined with romance. Are you okay?” Blaine’s eyes are adorably wide. Water drips from an escaped curl to his nose. He wipes at Kurt like he can brush the water off of him, but he’s just as soaked.

“I don’t mind. I didn’t expect you to…” Kurt only has to lean a few inches for his lips to meet Blaine’s. Given how often Blaine’s complete lack of filter has led to him opening up first today, it seems only fair to Kurt that he close the space. He shushes Blaine with a kiss. He suspects Blaine will appreciate the theatricality of it – kissing in the water while clinging to each other and soaking wet. In the moment before it happens he feels so sure.

It’s off-center and tentative. And wet. Blaine adjusts. His damp fingers slide into Kurt’s hair, and Kurt doesn’t care about ruining it, because Blaine has given up being flustered for kissing back.

Blaine laughs. “I’m so bad at…”

Kurt doesn’t let him finish. Blaine makes the sweetest noise. It’s still shy, but they have all summer.

“Figure it out with me?”

“I’d like that.” Blaine nods emphatically, his gaze still on Kurt’s lips. “You said you were nervous about doing that?”

“For the show,” Kurt agrees.

“It’s mostly the same on stage, just don’t use tongue.”

“I wasn’t going to!” And the he sees the waggle of Blaine’s eyebrows and laughs. That's a hint. The adorable cocky dork. Kurt is so out of his depth.

He can’t stop smiling. Not that he wants to. Not that he tries. He’ll hold onto this memory too, when summer ends. He looks at Blaine and thinks it’s going to be a good year for Kurt Hummel.


End file.
